Running with the Pack
Running with the Pack (2010) — Anthology edited by Ekaterina Sed Genre and Sub-Genres Urban Fantasy / Horror-Fantasy / Mixed elements of paranormal, humor, science fiction, horror Theme Variety of werewolves Description Sedia (Paper Cities) collects 22 tales that look at werewolves from a multitude of different angles. Steve Duffy's chilling dental thriller "Side-Effects May Include" examines how far a man will go to end his pain. A damaged alpha gains the trust of a homeless woman in Maria V. Snyder's "Mongrel." Murderous soccer moms eat cheaters in Samantha Henderson's "Skin in the Game." A woman accidentally turned wolf struggles against her dual nature before learning to accept it in Erzebet YellowBoy's powerful "Inside Out." The origin of T.J. from Carrie Vaughn's Kitty Norville series is told in "Wild Ride," and Mike Resnick's preacher/con-artist Lucifer Jones makes an appearance in the hilarious "Royal Bloodlines." The stories veer from comedy to horror and from tragic love story to coming-of-age tale, showing the richness inherent in the idea of shifting shapes and animal strength. ~ Publisher's Weekly: Running with the Pack ✥ A treasure trove of fantastically written stories that draw their inspiration not just from the paranormal genre, but from humor, science fiction, and horror among other genres. All stories focus on werewolves, regular humans encountering werewolves, or a human becoming a werewolf. The narrators range from children to the very old, and a few gay and lesbian protagonists as well. ~ temporaryworlds Goodreads reader Editor and Authors EDITOR: Ekaterina Sedia (SciFI & Fant) CONTRIBUTORS: Carrie Vaughn (UF), Steve Duffy (Wierd-Fict-Shorts), Marie Brennan (Fant), Jeffrey Ford (Weird-Fict, Fant, SciFi, Myst), Samantha Henderson (Fant, SciFi, Hor, Shorts), C. E. Murphy (UF), Stephanie Burgis (Children-Hist-Fant) , Laura Anne Gilman (UF, Fant), Mike Resnick (SciFi, Fant, steampunk-western, Nonfict), Lawrence Schimel (Vamp-fict, Fant, SciFi, Gay-Fict, Poetry), N.K. Jemisin (Fant), Geoffrey Goodwin (this story, Non-fict), Mike Brotherton (Sci-Fant, Hard SciFi, Astronomy), Amanda Downum (Fant), Jesse Bullington (SciFi, Fant, Hist, Future, Humor), Peter Bell (Hor-Fict-shorts, Non-fict), Susan Palwick (Fant, SciFi), Maria V. Snyder (Fant, SciFi, YA, Rom), Karen Everson (Fant-Shorts), Molly Tanzer (Hor, Fant), Genevieve Valentine (Fant, Shorts), Erzbet Yellowboy (Fant) Settings * Rødal, Norway * Hong Kong * Tallahassee Florida * Scotland * England * France Supernatural Elements Supes: Werwolves, Lupine-like beasts, Vampire, Goblin, ghosts, ghoul, underworld, Werewolf types: gay werewolf, Lupine teeth, lycanthropy study, werewolf-killing implements, were-hunters A–G, Bunco-playing beast man, were-women, she-wolf, old alpha female, young were females, gyspy-cursed lycanthrope, Dire Wolf, werewolf, wolf bones, inner wolf, injured werewolf, dog is more than a dog, teen she-wolf, mystery dog-beast on hind legs, werewolf, ages in dog years, Were fur turns Humans to were of that anim List of Stories To expand the table, right-press on a row of the table or (Control-press on a Mac)—choose add row. Synopsis by Story 1. "Wild Ride" by Carrie Vaughn — Kitty Norville series #0.5 A story for T.J., the gay werewolf from Kitty and the Midnight Hour. Interesting thing about this one: it could have ended five pages earlier than it did, the major conflict resolved and it's job done. But the story goes on, and those last five pages make it a whole lot deeper. T.J. made a lot of fans in the first book by being the only named character in Kitty's pack that wasn't an asshole. But his death at the end meant we never really got to know him. Here we do, and he's a compelling character: headstrong and free-spirited, but also lonely. Unable to fit in, he's constantly on the move, searching for somewhere he belongs. Very poignant. ✥ This story gives us background information on the character of TJ, showing how he became a werewolf. It draws a parallel between being in the closet in regards to being gay, and keeping your werewolf identity a secret. ✥ Concerns a young gay Englishman, TJ, who learns he has contracted HIV. He works as a mechanic, fixing racing motorcycles. He loves these machines because “bikes made sense. Machines could be fixed, their problems could be solved, and they didn’t judge.” Unlike a human body. Then he meets Alex Price. Alex races motorcycles and has a nasty accident, one that should have hurt him badly. Except he walks away from it. TJ learns that Alex is a werewolf, the alpha of a pack. He offers TJ the chance to be bitten and become “invincible.” He takes it and the HIV is gone. He runs with the pack, but struggles with many things that go with that. ✥ 2. "Side Effects May Include" by Steve Duffy A man travels to China on business, and fractures a wisdom tooth very shortly after the start of his trip. After a few days of immense pain, he finds himself begging for a secret “miracle cure.” Unfortunately. this cure has a few side effects that he wasn't planning on. ✥ Tells the tale of a business man in Hong Kong who has a bad toothache and visits a Chinese dentist for a remedy he was told would work miracles. But the prescription does more than take away the pain; it changes him in an unexpected way. And he craves more of it, until he uses what he has become to tear and rip his way for it, an addict to his beastly self. ✥ 3. "Comparison of Efficacy Rates for Seven Antipathetics as Employed Against Lycanthropes" by Marie Brennan This is the research paper of a slightly-mad scientist, documenting his field-testing of various traditional werewolf-killing implements with the aid of a colorful assortment of hunters. A black comic yarn that pokes fun at detached scientists and various cliche werewolf-hunter plots. ✥ Written like a study done by a scientist. Experiments are performed to see what methods of killing a werewolf might actually work. Or not work. It was a refreshing way to structure a story. ✥ 4. "Beautiful Gelreesh" by Jeffrey Ford A mysterious creature uses his glamour and a talent for sympathy to prey upon depressed individuals. Gelreesh is nothing like a werewolf. As described, he's more of a beast man. ✥ The story is about a mysterious creature called the Gelreesh that kindly and compassionately talks people into suicide. ✥ 5. "Skin in the Game" by Samantha Henderson The newcomer in a group of Bunco-playing ladies schemes to cheat them out of the pot. ✥ Sandy is excited when she's invited to play bunco with a group of coworkers. When she gets too greedy with her cheating, there's no way she could predict the deadly outcome. ✥ 6. "Blended" by C. E. Murphy Victorian romance about a she-wolf in search of a suitable mate who finds the hunter that killed her family instead. ✥ The story of a young werewolf on a mission of revenge. ✥ 7. "Locked Doors" by Stephanie Burgis After Mom walks out, an eighth-grader is stuck alone caring for his lycanthropically-afflicted father—story of abuse. ✥ It's not Tyler's father's fault that he's a werewolf, but I couldn't help feeling awful for Tyler and the adult responsibilities he has to take on at too young an age due to his father's “condition.” ✥ Tyler is an expert liar at a young age. After all, his father is a werewolf and he often has to spin falsehoods to explain his absences around the full moon. ✥ A young boy, Tyler, has a father who shifts into a beast a certain time each month. He must learn to live with this situation, since his mother left them, knowing that the boy would take care of the father and keep him safe. Tyler pretends his mother will return, until the day he realizes it may be a futile dream and he may share his father’s affliction. ✥ 8. "Werelove" by Laura Anne Gilman The neighborhood's Cool Old Woman dispenses brutal honesty to the local children, then has to advise a woman trying to break from her husband. The main character conveys a sense of the world-weary resignation and iron will common to cool old ladies. ✥ Tells about an old alpha female who gives advice to young werewolves. Although the story at times feels overly vague, it gives the reader a new perspective on the idea of werewolf love. ✥ 9. "In Sheep's Clothing" by Molly Tanzer A hippy woman and her daughter survive an apocalypse brought on by high-fructose corn syrup. Then things get really weird. Distinctive tone: crazy woman in a crazier world. ✥ A sci-fi/dystopian short story about the downfall of our society, and what happens after that. The werewolf aspect is not obvious at first, but it's done quite well. ✥ Takes that old adage, ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’, and twists it into an end-of-the-world story of humans mutating into animals. Something is causing people to grow ill and even mutate. The heroine of the tale and her daughter are vegetarians and learn that it may be corn that is the cause of the mutations. Nevertheless, they also avoid meat. But when they run out of canned beans in the middle of winter and there are no fresh vegetables, they begin to eat meat. A neighbour comes to them and offers to give them some sheepskins from his sheep for their own use, as long as they knit him some clothing. But there’s something peculiar about these sheep: they stand upright on their hind legs. The mother knits long underwear for the neighbour and a sweater for her daughter. When a wolf walking on its hind legs attacks them and is killed, the mother makes a belt out of wolf fur to hold up her pants. Just like in old medieval manuscripts, detailing how a belt made of wolf fur can change a person into a werewolf, the heroine slowly develops into a wolf, with a predator’s craving for meat. Meanwhile, her daughter becomes a lamb, due to wearing the sweater. One becomes the hunter, the other, the prey. ✥ 10. "Royal Bloodlines" by Mike Resnick A gyspy-cursed lycanthrope and a gambling preacher enter the former in a dog show. ✥ Tells this story of a shifty preacher who accidentally makes friends with a werewolf, with hilarious results. The protagonist is Lucifer Jones. ✥ 11. "Dire Wolf" by Genevieve Valentine A were tracks down a murderous fellow-were while dealing with a human lover she abandoned years ago, but still carries a torch for. The perspective jumps in and out of several time periods, but the tone is very compelling: moody and contemplative without being emo, hopeful without being happy. ✥ Tells this story of a werewolf named Velia. Her day job is to inspect suspicious looking wolf bones, and draw away attention from the fact that they look like werewolf remains. The story is about one woman's struggle with her inner wolf, and with romance as well. ✥ 12. "Take Back the Night" by Lawrence Schimel Aging lesbian feminist meets werewolf version of same and joins her for some vigilantism. ✥ This is a story about a woman who owns an all night feminist bookstore. One day, what looks like a large dog wanders in. Of course it's not really a dog, but a werewolf. It's about a woman trying to reclaim her feminist fury from her youth, as well as being a story about werewolf love. ✥ 13. "Mongrel" by Maria V. Snyder Homeless teenager who hangs out with dogs takes in an injured werewolf and gets mixed up in his problems. ✥ The story of a young homeless woman who adopts stray dogs. One day, she takes in an injured dog, only there's more to him than she realizes. ✥ Mongrel is a homeless woman who escaped from her home as a teenager after her stepfather forced himself on her. Living with stray dogs she has saved, she learns to find lost dogs to turn in for the reward to buy dog food for her canines. She reeks of dog and is not ashamed to be called ‘Mongrel’, feeling she is a mutt like her dogs and proud of it. One night, she finds a large black dog with silver at the tips of his fur, a knife buried in his flesh. She pulls out the knife, staunches the wound, and cares for the animal. She soon understands that her dog is more than a dog, and others are after it. ✥ 14. "Deadfall" by Karen Everson Teenage she-wolf in a hick town goes out to avenge a hate crime. ✥ The story focuses on revenge. It tells about a teenage werewolf named Olwen. One day Olwen and a close friend are attacked by a school bully, and Olwen is determined to get back at him for this vicious attack. ✥ 15. "Red Riding Hood's Child" by N.K. Jemisin Young boy in pre-industrial town draws the eye of the local pedo in an allegorical tale of gay sexual awakening. Halfway through, our hero escapes the predator by fleeing in the woods, meeting a werewolf who offers him lycanthropy and a gay relationship. The boy refuses, which the wolf is cool with, but then returns home to find his caregiver murdered. He returns to the wolf, takes him up on his offer, and then the story ends with them heading out to take revenge. ✥ Tells the story about a young orphan changing from a boy to a man. He's grown up hearing stories about his supposed wanton mother, and has a fascination for the night—about predators and prey. ✥ 16. "Are You A Vampire or A Goblin?" by Geoffrey Goodwin A woman in an asylum is trying to decide whether she's a vampire or a goblin. ✥ This story takes place in a strange alternate universe where people randomly start to turn into vampires or goblins. To help them in this process, they're sent to special institute where they have to decide which group they want to turn into. Yvette is a patient in The Institute only she doesn't want to be either, she wants to be a werewolf. ✥ 17. "The Pack and the Pickup Artist" by Mike Brotherton Pickup artist targets a knockout, gets more than he bargained for. ✥ Prime is a pick up artist, with a knack for charming beautiful women. Then he meets Anastasia, who attracts him like no other woman—about predators. 18. "The Garden, the Moon, the Wall" by Amanda Downum Haunted by ghosts, her dead boyfriend, and a craving for the meat of the dead, a young woman is drawn into a dreamlike journey into the underworld. ✥ There are two things about Sephie that are a little strange. 1. She's haunted by ghosts. 2. She eats people. ✥ 19. "Blamed for Trying to Live" by Jesse Bullington A black teenager living in a poor neighborhood of Tallahassee searches for an escape. The story is about opening your eyes and seeing past your preconceptions to see the world as it is. ✥ After his mother dies, Charles, a young black teenager, moves to a bad neighborhood and becomes obsessed with becoming a werewolf. ✥ 20. "The Barony at Rodal" by Peter Bell A travelogue through Norway with a bit of intrigue tacked awkwardly on at the end. ✥ Tells the story about a father/daughter team traveling in Norway—has a Dracula-esque atmosphere. ✥ 21. "Inside Out" by Erzbet Yellowboy A were struggling with her affliction finds another of her own kind imprisoned and tries to free her. ✥ This story tells about a werewolf named Gretchen, who lives with her two sisters. Gretchen despises her werewolf nature, and the limits it puts on her and her family's lives. This all changes when one full moon, she finds a woman locked in a cage. ✥ 22. "Gestella" by Susan Palwick Bitter, cynical, brutally dark feminist fable about a werewolf who gets tamed to be a college professor's trophy wife. ✥ Tells about a young werewolf who falls in love with a human man. In the beginning of the story, the werewolf is still a teenager, but because she ages in dog years, she quickly catches up and surpasses her human mate. It examines the impact a beautiful young woman has on the men and women around her. The relationship between Gestella (werewolf) and Jonathan (the human mate) is highly disturbing and abusive, especially as she ages as becomes less appealing to him. Publishing Information * Publisher: Prime Books * Book Page: Prime Books - Running With the Pack, edited by Ekaterina Sedia * Book data: Trade Paperback, 352 pages, Pub: April 19, 2010—ISBN: 9781607012191 Cover Blurb Remember the werewolves of old stories and films, those bloodthirsty monsters that transformed under the full moon, reminding us of the terrible nature that lives within all of us? Today’s werewolves are much more suave and even sexy, and they moved from British moors to New York City lofts, shaved, and got jobs. But as the tales of these writers will show you, they remained no less wild and passionate, and they still tug at the part of our being where a wild animal used to be. ~ Prime Books Category:Anthologies